The Summit County Library isn’t only for books. It’s also a “Library of Things,” allowing residents to check out physical and digital resources, including language lessons and streaming services — and all that’s needed is a library card.

The Library of Things provides the community with free access to physical activities and devices to use in their own homes. 

For those wanting to try a new board game or yard game without paying for the whole thing first, Summit County has over 150 games available to rent. There are pickleball or disc golf sets available, as well as kits for children to learn about nature or the science of stress relief. 

Library patrons can also rent Roku streaming sticks with streaming services already signed in to access streaming catalogs, or make a movie night by renting a DVD, a DVD player and a projector for free. 

The library also gives residents access to Kanopy, a digital streaming service where you can access many classic movies and shows or the magazines available on Libby, which have no wait times or required return date. 

“You basically get it forever,” said Summit County Library Director Dan Compton. 

Summit County has also worked with the Summit County Health Department to provide blood pressure monitor kits as a service available for the community to rent from the Library of Things. 

Compton said most people seem to be aware of Libby, the online ebook and audiobook platform where library users can borrow materials online. But the Summit County Library has more digital materials beyond that, many of which are underutilized. 

“Some of our digital resources are pretty robust and I think people aren’t aware,” Compton said. “A lot of people are interested in learning a language, for instance, and we have a service called Mango Languages that offers over 70 different languages and you can download the app on your phone through your library card.”

Compton said Mango Languages has “pretty much any language,” and it also offers English classes with specialized learning techniques determined by the user’s first language. That means a Spanish speaker and a Russian speaker could both use Mango Languages to perfect their English, for example, but the two individuals would likely have different experiences because the program would base its lessons on Spanish or Russian grammar. 

Summit County Library is part of a consortium with three other libraries, where they offer three virtual author events a month, which can be streamed live on the library website, no library card needed. Live viewers can ask questions for the moderator to pass along to the author and recordings of the events are available online for free.  

”We can get really popular authors through that program that there is no way we would be able to afford otherwise,” said Compton. “For instance, they just had Matt Dinneman, the author of ‘Dungeon Crawler Carl.’ He’s really popular right now” 

Compton said Summit County Library has put a special effort into making their materials accessible to everyone throughout the county, even where there is not a physical library branch. 

For example, in Henefer, there’s a 24-hour locker system where residents can order physical books and materials online through the Summit County Library portal and have the materials delivered to the hold lockers. While it may take a day or two longer to arrive, the materials can be picked up in town rather than at a physical library branch. 

The library also has a Bookmobile that services the entire county, bringing materials, storytime and other events to residents across the Wasatch Back.

Residents of Summit County can register for a library card online, and the library also offers free non-resident cards that allow access to most library resources for an extra fee.

For information about the Summit County Library, visit thesummitcountylibrary.org.

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It was a silent, slow Friday afternoon in the lobby at Intermountain Health’s Heber Valley Hospital, aside from the occasional cooing from patients and employees alike as they came in contact with Pippi, a 6-year-old, gingerbread-colored goldendoodle hired as the hospital’s first therapy dog. 

Her handler, Kirsten Nilsson, usually breaks the ice with patients by asking them if they have any dogs. 

“I’m very careful not to ever be like, ‘So, what’s wrong?’ I just sort of ignore that they’re in the hospital. We talk about the weather, and whatever they want to do,” she said. “I’ll bring Pippi, and she’ll sit on the bed, and I’ll just stay as long as it feels like they need someone to talk to. Sometimes they’re lonely.”

As volunteers, Nilsson and Pippi have visited Intermountain Health’s Park City Hospital every Wednesday for the past four years. The pair started visiting the Heber Valley Hospital earlier this month and plans to continue doing so on the first Tuesday of each month.

Usually, the pair wanders in the lobby and visits the medical-surgical wing and emergency clinic to see if any patients might be interested in a visit from Pippi, usually by checking with the receptionist.

“Sometimes, Pippi will identify someone and start walking towards them, which I’ve learned to not ever ignore, because a lot of times, dogs can sense there’s something wrong or that they need somebody,” Nilsson said. “If Pippi picks someone out, then they’re always like, ‘This is just what I needed.’ It’s really rewarding.”

Nilsson often gives patients a card with Pippi’s “stats,” like her birthday and favorite sport: swimming with the ducks in the lake near Nilsson’s house.

Pippi learned everything she knows through the Salt Lake City organization, Intermountain Therapy Animals. Her certification test involved placing Pippi in a fake hospital environment, complete with crutches, a gurney and pills scattered on the floor that could potentially distract her. The goal was for her to jump onto a hospital bed and let a patient pet her. 

“She wanted to spend most of her time with the people who were just pretending to hang out at the hospital and didn’t really want to hang out with me,” Nilsson said. “She was overly friendly with everybody else, which is great.”

Nilsson, the children’s librarian for the Summit County Library, first adopted Pippi to certify her as a Reading Education Assistance Dog through Intermountain Therapy Animals. Those dogs attentively listen to kids read aloud to help them develop their fluency. 

Pippi was born just five months before the COVID-19 lockdown, so she wasn’t a fan of kids when she first met them in the wild. But now, she’s perfectly attentive as they read to her. If she ever gets overwhelmed, she’ll go to her “safe space,” the top of Nilsson’s storytime book cart, where the children’s little hands are mercifully out of reach. 

Pippi also visits the Salt Lake City International Airport about once a month to meet anxious flyers or people with delayed flights. That’s the most stimulating environment Pippi has been in. 

The pup is much more at home at the Heber Valley Hospital, which is generally even quieter than the Park City Hospital.

Pippi can handle visits of about an hour. When she’s feeling done, she lies on the floor, four legs splayed out like a taxidermy rug. Sometimes, though, that just means she’s enjoying the cool feeling of the tile floor against her fur.

Nilsson said three teams of Intermountain Therapy Animals handlers and therapy dogs visit the Park City Hospital. She hopes to convince some of them to volunteer at the Heber Valley Hospital, too, especially since a few live in Heber City.

She also encouraged anyone who may be interested to train a therapy dog. She said her experience with Pippi has made her more considerate of other people, more comfortable starting up conversations and a more inclusive individual.

“(Pippi) doesn’t care what you look like or how you’re dressed or what kind of piercings you have or tattoos,” Nilsson said. “The fun thing is everyone reacts to her the same way.”

Pippi clearly has a positive effect on the patients, too, as evidenced by a time someone spotted Pippi in the Park City Hospital cafeteria and asked Nilsson to visit his mom in the intensive care unit.

“His mom was in pretty bad shape and not really responsive, and looked uncomfortable. And we walked in, and she saw the dog, and everything changed. She just became much more relaxed,” Nilsson said. “Pippi put her head on top of the woman’s hand, and then, with her other hand, she could pet her on the head. It was amazing. Everyone in the room started crying. And she stayed there for minutes, like she knew, ‘This is something that I’m here for.’”

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Summit County Library Director Dan Compton celebrated his 20th anniversary with the county in September.

“I love the way it all worked out because I started as a library clerk part time,” Compton said. “I’ve been able to have jobs in all different aspects of the library, so when I became director, I had an understanding of what is required to do those jobs, and I have empathy for the folks in those positions and know what their challenges may be.”

Compton is from Green River, Wyoming, and moved to Salt Lake City to attend Westminster University. By the time he graduated from college, he knew he wanted to work in library sciences as a career, which led him to the part-time opening in Summit County.

“I was looking at starting a master’s program, and I just wanted to get some experience working in a library,” Compton said. “I was able to get the part-time job here, and I’ve surprisingly been here ever since.”

Originally, Compton was interested in becoming a teacher. He ultimately changed his mind, though, and decided to explore similar pathways, which led him to library sciences.

“It jumped out to me as a way to still serve my community and still have opportunities for a teaching-type career because you’re helping people with education and libraries offer a lot of different programs,” he said. “It really appealed to me, and I’m glad I ended up choosing this career. It’s worked out well for me, and I couldn’t be happier.”

Compton has held a variety of positions with the library throughout the years, including reference librarian, circulation supervisor and assistant director. He was promoted to his current directorial position in 2011.

“I really like the way it’s worked out,” Compton said. “Being a leader is great, but I do like how I’ve done all of these jobs. I feel like I have a greater understanding of what they entail, and I can be a bigger help here in that way.”

As the director, Compton works closely with community groups and board members to plan for the library’s future. He travels frequently between the system’s different branches to assess his employees’ needs, but he also still works in purchasing and programming on occasion.

“I’ve never fully given that up because it’s something that I love to do,” he said. “If our staff is interested and wants to be involved in programming, we try to give them that opportunity. We think it makes the job so much more exciting when you can share your passions with the community.”

Compton’s own passion project — the Book to Film Club — has been running since 2014. The monthly club reads a book that has been made into a movie and then gathers together to watch the film adaptation for a discussion.

As a 20-year library veteran, Compton said he’s also no stranger to adapting technologies. He said the biggest change he’s seen since 2005 is the rising popularity of audiobooks, which patrons can borrow through services like Libby and OverDrive.

“In the last seven or eight years, they’ve exploded in popularity,” Compton said. “The publishers have also raised prices for libraries to purchase some of the content to make it available, so that’s provided a lot of challenges for us because the demand is rising like crazy, and we’re unable to keep up with it with our limited budget for collections.”

But “traditional circulation” numbers, or the number of people checking out regular ink-and-paper books, is still significantly higher than most people might expect, Compton said.

The library also offers more programs than ever before, and Compton said there’s something happening almost every day at one of the county’s three branches.

“That’s something that I love to see because it really makes the place a community hub,” Compton said. “Our libraries are also getting really creative with lending out nontraditional items. We call it the ‘Library of Things,’ like if you need a blood pressure kit or something like that. … It’s fun to see how libraries evolve, and it’s fun to be a part of that.”

Compton and his staff are working toward a big goal in 2026: moving into the Kimball Junction building formerly occupied by Skullcandy. The Summit County government is transforming the property into its state-of-the-art government facility, including a new space entirely dedicated to the library.

“We also have a goal to capture people’s memories of (the Richins Building), what they loved about this building and trying to record some of those thoughts and feelings so that we don’t lose that,” Compton said. “We don’t want to lose the history that we have here, but we are very excited to have this new space and more room and to be able to do more than we have in the past.”

The new library area will have more meeting and study rooms, as well as a larger children’s section and an outdoor patio.

“It’s interesting for me because I’ve been fortunate to be involved in the move in Coalville to the current facility and in Kamas as they built a new facility there,” Compton said. “Now, this is coming full circle to have the opportunity to be involved with the Kimball Junction branch moving to a new location.”

Compton said he’s excited to see how the community will adapt to the new space and make it their own, especially because the library is often a gathering place for people craving human connection.

“The library is one of the only places left where you can go and there isn’t an expectation of having to spend money,” he said. “It’s just a place you can go and be. You can pursue your interests. You can come have a quiet space if you need to study. You can come to a program and make a connection with people who have similar interests as you. Whatever it is, we’ve got that for you, and I think people need more spaces like that.”

Information on the Summit County Library, including programming and an online catalog, is available by visiting thesummitcountylibrary.org.

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The Summit County Library and Home Depot put on a truck petting zoo in Home Depot’s parking lot Saturday, July 1, 2017, thanks to their summertime partnership. The event gave kids an opportunity to meet policemen and firemen, tour the trucks as well as complete a crafting project. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Link to the full gallery here: https://parkrecordphoto.smugmug.com/PHOTOS-Truck-Petting-Zoo/

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The Summit County Library hosts Terrific Toddler Time, a weekly time for tots to sing, dance and read books, Wednesday morning, June 14, 2017. The event begins at 10:30 a.m. and is open to anyone with a child ages 2-3. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

Link to full gallery here: https://parkrecordphoto.smugmug.com/PHOTOS-Terrific-Toddler-Time/

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The Summit County Library in Kimball Junction hosted a YouthSpeak event for teens, creating a safe environment for them to express their feelings through poetry, spoken word or song and to receive feedback Wednesday evening, March 29, 2017. The event, which was free and open to the public, awarded first, second, third place and honorable mention prizes to participants. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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Libraries are known for sharing information and inspiring imagination. They do that through books, films and Legos.

Yes. More and more libraries, including Summit County’s Kimball Junction Branch, are finding the benefit of hosting free all-ages Lego Clubs.

The Summit County Library’s Lego Club is from 3:30-5 p.m. every first Tuesday of the month in the room located by the DMV, said Kirsten Nilsson, youth services librarian.

“Our next will be March 7,” said Nilsson, who is known by the moniker Ms. Nilsson. “Kids of all ages can stop for a few minutes or stay for the whole time to create and build things with Legos and the bigger Duplos.”

Usually 20 people, including adults and kids, attend the sessions.

“I’m here, too, just there hanging out and playing with everybody,” Nilsson said. “What’s also fun is the parents are on the floor as well, especially with the younger kids. Also, while the kids may or may not play with each other, they are all hanging out together.”

Nilsson said she has a “ton of Legos and Duplos.”

“Most of them are from my kids,” she said. “I have three boys who loved Legos and I kept them because I didn’t want to throw them away. I feel like it really helped my kids become more creative thinkers and problem solvers.”

Some of the Legos were donated.

“A bunch came from my husband’s best friend in high school who graduated from the [Art Center College of Design] in Pasadena and his senior project was made entirely out of Legos,” Nilsson said.

The Summit County Library’s Lego collection is a mish-mash of kits and generic pieces.

“When my kids were little — my youngest is 18 and my oldest is 25 — they didn’t have the elaborate themed kits that are offered now,” Nilsson said. “Even though my kids liked the kits when they came out, they liked to do their own thing. We just kept a pile and all the ones that were in kits fell into the pile.”

Children can find SpongeBob SquarePants and Harry Potter Legos somewhere in the Summit County collection.

The monthly Lego Club has attracted some regulars, including the Cundick and Altschuler families.

Tenille Cundick and her children Clark, 8, Cannon, 7, Anna, 4, and Grady, 16 months never miss a session.

“Even though we have a whole loft dedicated to Legos, we still come every month,” Tenille said with a laugh.

Clark and Cannon have their own reasons why they enjoy the club.

“I like the way the Legos fit together and we just kind of experiment,” Clark said. “When we play with them for a long time, they kind of actually come alive.”

“I like how you can create almost anything,” Cannon said.

Sarah Altschuler — the mother of Bean, 4, and Alice, 2 — said her children are attracted to Legos and Duplos because the kids can do whatever they want.

“The kids can be creative,” she said. “They can build as simple or complex as they want. And that lets them have control over what they are playing with, rather than being structured.”

Her son Bean recently became interested in what she calls “big-guy” Legos.

“He has gotten more complex in what he likes to build,” she said.

One of Bean’s favorite items to create is an ice cream truck.

“He builds one at least once a week and talks about the kind of ice cream it sells,” Altschuler said. “The real ice cream truck never comes to our house, so I don’t know where he learned it from — maybe from a book.”

Nilsson is happy how the Lego Club has developed. She also said she has some plans for its future.

“I thought about doing this for a while and we toyed with the idea of doing this every week,” she said. “We think we may do that this summer, and it will fit with our summer reading theme that is ‘Build a Better World.’”

A free open Lego Club session will be from 3:30-5 p.m. on Tuesday, March 7, at the Summit County Library Kimball Junction Branch, 1885 W. Ute Blvd. For information, visit http://www.thesummitcountylibrary.org.

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Every first Tuesday of the month, the Summit County Library hosts the Lego Club — a free session from 3:30-5 p.m. for kids. Some of the Legos were donated and children also have the option to play with Duplos. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)

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